On Thursday, November 17, Kenyan newspapers reported extensively on the election of nine members into the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) by members of the National Assembly and the Senate. The papers also touched on the building that collapsed in Kasarani killing three people.
1. Daily Nation
The daily reported that the Kiambu businessman, John Wanderi Karanja, who was shot dead in broad daylight by robbers was set to pay his wife’s bride price in Nyahururu.
In the Tuesday, November 17 incident, the gun-wielding miscreants on a boda boda attacked Karanja while at his shop in Ndeiya and shot him, before making away with an estimated KSh 300,000.
On the fateful day, the 34-year-old travelled to Limuru to withdraw the cash. He then stashed the wads of notes in an envelope and hid them in the pocket and boarded a matatu back to his shop.
However, on arrival, he was accosted by two men riding on a motorbike. They pulled him by the collar of his dust coat. A brief scuffle ensued and a gunshot rang out.
The killers seemed to have information that he was carrying money. They went straight to the right pocket, then jumped onto their motorcycle and raced off.
A third person believed to have alighted from the matatu Karanja had used and had been seen walking behind him, also jumped onto the speeding motorcycle, joining the other two to make their getaway.
The hospital report later showed that the bullet had passed through his back and exited on the left side of his chest. He died due to massive internal bleeding.
2. The Standard
The publication reported that President William Ruto has given a green light for the removal of four dissenting commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Speaking at a Kenya Kwanza Parliamentary Group meeting at State House Nairobi, Ruto reportedly told the lawmakers « to do what they have to ».
« He did not tell us directly how to handle the matter but from the body language, anyone can tell what he meant, » said a lawmaker who attended the meeting.
The National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula on Tuesday received four petitions seeking the removal of IEBC deputy chairperson Juliana Cherera and commissioners Francis Mathenge, Irene Masit and Justus Nyang’aya.
3. The Star
The daily reported that East African Legislative Assembly hopefuls on Wednesday, November 16 made last-minute pitches for their bids ahead of Thursday’s vote for nine Kenyan representatives to the regional parliament.
It was a beehive of activities at Parliament Buildings, with the hopefuls holding small Kamkunjis with MPs late into the night on Wednesday.
They also had one-on-one brief interactions with the legislators along the corridors of Parliament and members’ lounge to sell their candidatures.
The 28 candidates, determined to make last-minute impressions in the minds of the lawmakers, went to the extent of printing fliers complete with their manifestos, which they dished out to the lawmakers.
Members of the two Houses will on Thursday cast their votes simultaneously, the exercise starting at 9.30 am and 10 am at the National Assembly and the Senate.
4. People Daily
A senior official in the Ministry of Lands maintained that the KSh 1.5 billion property near Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) belongs to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Nyandoro David Nyamnaso, a senior assistant chief land registrar stated that the property was legally transferred to Wamunyoro Investments Limited, a company associated with Gachagua.
Gachagua has been fighting over the land with the former director of Physical Planning John Michael Ohas and his company Columbus Two Thousand Limited.
The DP through his company accused Ohas of illegally obtaining a title deed of the said land in December 2019 and registering it in his company’s name.
5. Taifa Leo
The publication reported that Principal Secretaries from former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration will remain in their offices for even longer after National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula suspended the vetting of 51 nominees following a court order.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) obtained an interim court order barring the vetting process, claiming the names did not meet regional, ethnic, and gender balance.
Justice Nzioki wa Makau, directed the National Assembly to halt the process, which began on Monday, pending the hearing of the LSK suit.
In court papers, the LSK claims that “13 nominees are members of the Kalenjin community from the Rift Valley, and 13 others are from the Central Kenya region to the detriment of the other 40 tribes and communities, contrary to the pluralism of the country, and depict regional imbalance.”
Source: TUKO.co.ke
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